Mohammed Fairouz
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Mohammed Fairouz (born November 1, 1985) is an American composer. He is one of the most frequently performed composers of his generation and has been described by Daniel J. Wakin of ''
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'' as an "important new artistic voice". Fairouz began composing at an early age and studied at the
New England Conservatory of Music The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a Private college, private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. The conservatory is located on Huntington Avenue along Avenue of the Arts (Boston), the Avenue of the Arts near Boston Symphony Ha ...
and the Curtis Institute of Music. His teachers included
Gunther Schuller Gunther Alexander Schuller (November 22, 1925June 21, 2015) was an American composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, educator, publisher, and jazz musician. Biography and works Early years Schuller was born in Queens, New York City ...
, Halim El-Dabh, and John Heiss. Fairouz lives in
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.


Vocal music

Fairouz says that he first set the poem "The True Knowledge" by
Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...
to music at the age of 17 and has gone on to write hundreds of art songs and over a dozen song cycles.Rase, Sherri (April 8, 2011)
Conversations—with Mohammed Fairouz
, '' nStage'', retrieved 2011-04-19
Fischer, Shell (March 1, 2011)
Poets, Composers Find Sanctuary
''Poets & Writers'', retrieved 2011-04-19
In Poets & Writers Magazine, he described himself as being obsessed with text. ''Three Fragments of Ibn Khafājah'' was commissioned by the Cygnus Ensemble and sets poetry by Arab Andalucian poet Ibn Khafaja. Musicians for Harmony commissioned the song cycle ''Furia'' for baritone Randall Scarlata together with the Imani Winds and the Borromeo String Quartet and sets Western texts about the Middle East. ''Jeder Mensch'', was written for Kate Lindsey with texts set from the diaries of Alma Mahler. Lindsey is also the soloist in a 2014 recording of Fairouz's 2012 cycle, ''Audenesque (in memory of W. B. Yeats)'', with the LPR Ensemble conducted by Evan Rogister, released in 2015 on the
Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...
label (catalog no. B0022417). The disc also features Fairouz's 2013 instrumental work, ''Sadat''. Fairouz has also collaborated extensively with living poets. ''Bonsai Journal'', on texts by Judson Evans, was released on Albany Records. Fairouz's theatrical song cycle, written with Wayne Koestenbaum, titled ''Pierrot'' was commissioned by the Da Capo Chamber Players. The Pierrot ensemble, Lunatics at Large commissioned the cycle ''Unwritten'' on texts by David Shapiro. Fairouz has also written an
oratorio An oratorio () is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble. Similar to opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguisha ...
entitled ''Zabur'', which was premiered by the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir and the
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) is a major American orchestra based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The largest performing arts organization in Indiana, the orchestra was founded in 1930 and is based at the Hilbert Circle Theatre in downtown ...
in April 2015. Staying true to his focus on text, the work sets a libretto by Najla Said and features text in both Arabic and English. Zabur is scored for a full orchestra, mixed choir, children's mixed choir, tenor soloist, and baritone soloist.


Operas

Sumeida's Song is Fairouz's first opera and is based on the play ''Song of Death'' by the Egyptian playwright Tawfiq al-Hakim(April 5, 2011
Mohammed Fairouz's Opera ''Sumeida's Song''
, retrieved 2011-04-09
The opera follows the return of the protagonist Alwan to his Upper Egyptian peasant village, and his attempts to bring modernity to darkness in an effort to break a never ending cycle of violence. The opera also clearly depicts the grave consequences of this pioneering energy. The opera is recorded on Bridge Records. In May 2015,
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's
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announced that Mohammed Fairouz would be teaming up with best-selling American author David Ignatius to create a political opera called 'The New Prince' based on the teachings of
Niccolò Machiavelli Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (3 May 1469 – 21 June 1527) was a Florentine diplomat, author, philosopher, and historian who lived during the Italian Renaissance. He is best known for his political treatise '' The Prince'' (), writte ...
. The opera was commissioned by the
Dutch National Opera The Dutch National Opera (DNO; formerly De Nederlandse Opera, now De Nationale Opera in Dutch) is a Dutch opera company based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Its present home base is the Dutch National Opera & Ballet housed in the Stopera building, a m ...
Speaking with ''
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'', Ignatius described the broad themes of the opera in terms of three chapters: "The first chapter is about revolution and disorder. Revolutions, like children, are lovable when young, and they become much less lovable as they age. The second lesson Machiavelli tells us is about sexual obsession, among leaders. And then the final chapter is basically is the story of
Dick Cheney Richard Bruce Cheney ( ; born January 30, 1941) is an American former politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He has been called vice presidency o ...
nd bin Laden, the way in which those two ideas of what we’re obliged to do as leaders converged in such a destructive way." Fairouz is also currently at work on a new opera about the lives and deaths of
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (5 January 1928 – 4 April 1979) was a Pakistani barrister and politician who served as the fourth president of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973 and later as the ninth Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan from 19 ...
and
Benazir Bhutto Benazir Bhutto (21 June 1953 – 27 December 2007) was a Pakistani politician who served as the 11th prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990, and again from 1993 to 1996. She was also the first woman elected to head a democratic governmen ...
. The opera features
Nathan Gunn Nathan T. Gunn (born November 26, 1970, in South Bend, Indiana) is an American operatic baritone who performs regularly around the world. He is an alumnus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where he is currently a professor of voice ...
and Kate Lindsey in the lead roles and the libretto is being written in collaboration with the prominent Pakistani author Mohammed Hanif.


Orchestral music


Symphonies

Fairouz has written four symphonies. His Third Symphony, '' Poems and Prayers'' was commissioned by Northeastern University's Middle East Center for Peace, Culture, and Development and is cast for solo voices, mixed chorus and orchestra. The Symphony sets the texts of Arab poets such as Fadwa Tuqan and
Mahmoud Darwish Mahmoud Darwish (; 13 March 1941 – 9 August 2008) was a Palestinians, Palestinian poet and author who was regarded as Palestine's national poet. In 1988 Darwish wrote the Palestinian Declaration of Independence, which was the formal declarat ...
, the Israeli poet
Yehuda Amichai Yehuda Amichai (; born Ludwig Pfeuffer 3 May 1924 – 22 September 2000) was an Israelis, Israeli poet and author, one of the first to write in colloquial Hebrew language, Hebrew in modern times. Yehuda Amichai, the poet of everyday life, love, ...
, as well as prayers such as the Aramaic
Kaddish The Kaddish (, 'holy' or 'sanctification'), also transliterated as Qaddish, is a hymn praising God that is recited during Jewish prayer services. The central theme of the Kaddish is the magnification and sanctification of God's name. In the lit ...
.Moore, Thomas (September 12, 2010)
Mohammed Fairouz: An Interview
''Opera Today'', retrieved 2011-04-19
The Third Symphony was premiered on February 16, 2012, by conductor Yoon Jae Lee, mezzo-soprano Rachel Calloway, Baritone David Kravitz, Ensemble 212 and The Young New Yorkers Chorus at the Miller Theater at
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
. Fairouz's Fourth Symphony ''In the Shadow of No Towers'' is scored for wind ensemble and is inspired by
Art Spiegelman Itzhak Avraham ben Zeev Spiegelman ( ; born February 15, 1948), professionally known as Art Spiegelman, is an American cartoonist, editor, and comics advocate best known for his graphic novel ''Maus''. His work as co-editor on the comics magazin ...
's
graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...
of the same title. The symphony explores American life in the aftermath of 9/11. It was described by
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
as "technically impressive, consistently imaginative and in its finest stretches deeply moving". The symphony has been recorded on
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by the University of Kansas Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Paul Popiel. The final movement of Fairouz's First Symphony ''Homage to a Belly Dancer'' is based on an essay by
Edward Said Edward Wadie Said (1 November 1935 – 24 September 2003) was a Palestinian-American academic, literary critic, and political activist. As a professor of literature at Columbia University, he was among the founders of Postcolonialism, post-co ...
about the Egyptian belly dancer Tahia Carioca.


Concertos

Fairouz's Cello Concerto was written for Israel-born cellist
Maya Beiser Maya Beiser (born 31 December 1963) is an American musician, cellist, performing artist and Record producer, producer who lives in New York City. Beiser was raised on a kibbutz in Israel by her France, French mother and Argentina, Argentine father ...
for the
Detroit Symphony Orchestra The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is an American orchestra based in Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. Its primary performance venue is Orchestra Hall (Detroit, Michigan), Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown, Detroit, ...
. It was premiered by the Orchestra under the direction of
Leonard Slatkin Leonard Edward Slatkin (born September 1, 1944) is an American conductor, author and composer. Early life and education Slatkin was born in Los Angeles to a Jewish musical family that came from areas of the Russian Empire now in Ukraine. His fat ...
. Fairouz has written a violin concerto called ''Al-Andalus'' for Rachel Barton Pine and the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. The concerto was praised at its premiere for containing "some of the most melancholy and nostalgic writing heard yet among ASO's new music projects". Fairouz's Double Concerto for Violin, Cello and orchestra ''States of Fantasy'' was commissioned by New York-based orchestra Ensemble 212. It is inspired by
Jacqueline Rose Jacqueline Rose (born 1949) is a British academic who is Professor of Humanities at the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities. She is known for her work on the relationship between psychoanalysis, feminism and literature. Life and work Rose ...
's book of the same title and was written for violinist Nicholas Kitchen and cellist Yeesun Kim of the Borromeo String Quartet. Fairouz has also written a clarinet concerto, ''Tahrir'', for David Krakauer. The work takes its title from Tahrir Square in
Cairo, Egypt Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...
. This piece was commissioned by a group of alumni of NYC's Wagner Junior High School in memory of teacher Herb Greenhut. Krakauer is also a Wagner alum. ''Akhnaten, Dweller in Truth'', a dance scene for cello and orchestra, takes its name from
Naguib Mahfouz Naguib Mahfouz Abdelaziz Ibrahim Ahmed Al-Basha (, ; 11 December 1911 – 30 August 2006) was an Egyptian writer who won the 1988 Nobel Prize in Literature. In awarding the prize, the Swedish Academy described him as a writer "who, through wo ...
's book of the same title.


Chamber and solo music

Fairouz's Wind Quintet, ''Jebel Lebnan'', written for the Imani Winds, musically chronicles events from the
Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon. The religious diversity of the ...
. The Imani Winds recorded the work for
Naxos Records Naxos comprises numerous companies, divisions, imprints, and labels specializing in classical music but also audiobooks and other genres. The premier label is Naxos Records, which focuses on classical music. Naxos Musical Group encompasses about ...
.Naxos Records Page for ''Native Informant''
/ref> His ''Lamentation and Satire'' for string quartet was recorded by the Borromeo String Quartet for release on GM/Living Archive Recordings. His string quartet, ''The Named Angels'', was also written for the Borromeo String Quartet. The work, about the mythology of angels in Middle Eastern Folklore, has been recorded by the Del Sol Quartet on the Sono Luminus record label. Fairouz has written a sonata for unaccompanied violin (2011) called ''Native Informant'' for Rachel Barton Pine. ''Native Informant'' is the title work of a
Naxos Records Naxos comprises numerous companies, divisions, imprints, and labels specializing in classical music but also audiobooks and other genres. The premier label is Naxos Records, which focuses on classical music. Naxos Musical Group encompasses about ...
album of Fairouz's chamber music.


Recordings

* 2008 – ''Boston Diary'' (Albany Records TROY1176) * 2010 – ''As It Was, Is, and Will Be'' (GM Recordings GM 2080) by Borromeo String Quartet * 2011 – ''Critical Models'' ( Dorian Sono Luminus DSL 92146) * 2012 – ''Sumeida's Song'' ( Bridge Records Bridge 9385) * 2013 – ''Native Informant'' (
Naxos Records Naxos comprises numerous companies, divisions, imprints, and labels specializing in classical music but also audiobooks and other genres. The premier label is Naxos Records, which focuses on classical music. Naxos Musical Group encompasses about ...
Naxos 8.559744) * 2013 – ''In the Shadow of No Towers'' (
Naxos Records Naxos comprises numerous companies, divisions, imprints, and labels specializing in classical music but also audiobooks and other genres. The premier label is Naxos Records, which focuses on classical music. Naxos Musical Group encompasses about ...
Naxos 8.573205) * 2014 – ''Poems and Prayers'' ( Dorian Sono Luminus DSL 92177) * 2015 – ''Follow, Poet'' (
Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...
B0022417) * 2015 – ''Scrapyard Exotica'' ( Sono Luminus DSL-92193) by Del Sol String Quartet


Works

Source: * ''Duo for Piano and Violin'' (2002), for piano and violin * ''The True Knowledge'' (2002), for soprano and violin * ''Elegy for Edward Said'' (2003), for violin and cello * ''Piano Prelude no. 1'' (2003), for piano * ''Piano Prelude no. 2'' (2003), for piano * ''Piano Prelude no. 3'' (2004), for piano * ''Naaman's Song'' (2004), for soprano, tenor and chamber orchestra * ''Four Haiku Poems'' (2004), for tenor and piano * ''Memoriam'' (2004), for string orchestra * ''The 89th Street Rag'' (2004), for clarinet and piano * ''Cello Sonata "Elegiac Verses"'' (2005), for cello and piano or piano, cello, actor, singer and dancer * ''Two Sonnets and a Closing Couplet'' (2005), for harp * ''Piano Miniature no.1 "Nocturnal Snapshot"'' (2005), for piano * ''Piano Prelude no.4'' (2005), for piano * ''Piano Miniature no. 2'' (2005), for piano * ''Piano Miniature no. 3'' (2005), for piano * ''Elegy for David Diamond'' (2005), for violin and cello * ''Piano Miniature no. 4'' (2005), for piano * ''The Stolen Child'' (2005), for baritone and piano * ''Canto'' (2005), for violin, viola, cello, double bass and piano * ''Chamber Symphony no. 1 "Sabra"'' (2005), for chamber orchestra and actors * ''Panopticon'' (2006), for tenor and piano * ''Requiem Mass'' (2006), for mixed chorus * ''Piano Miniature no. 5'' (2006), for piano * ''Elegy for Naguib Mahfouz'' (2006), for violin and cello * ''Three Shakespeare Songs'' (2006), for clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, harp, mezzo-soprano, violin and double bass * ''Two Short Diversions'' (2006), for saxophone and harp * ''Piano Sonata "Reflections on Exile"'' (2007), for piano * ''Lan Abkee'' (2007), for mezzo-soprano and piano * ''Litany'' (2007), for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and double bass * ''Collisions'' (2007), for percussion ensemble * ''Symphony no. 1 "Symphonic Aphorisms""'' (2007), for orchestra * ''Bonsai Journal'' (2007), for high soprano and piano * ''Lamentation and Satire'' (2008), for string quartet * ''Three Novelettes'' (2008), for alto saxophone and piano


References


External links


Official Website

Mohammed Fairouz at Peermusic Classical


Media


Mohammed Fairouz in ''Strings Magazine''
May, 2012
Mohammed Fairouz on ''New Music Box''
February 22, 2012
Mohammed Fairouz on ''NPR's All Things Considered''
February 18, 2012
Mohammed Fairouz on ''PRI's The World''
January 25, 2012
Mohammed Fairouz on ''WQXR/Q2''
January 13, 2012
Mohammed Fairouz's "Critical Models" is ''WQXR/Q2 Album of the Week''
December 6, 2011
Mohammed Fairouz's contribution to The New York Times' ''The Score''
July 6, 2011 {{DEFAULTSORT:Fairouz, Mohammed 1985 births 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American classical composers African-American male classical composers African-American classical composers African-American opera composers American opera composers American LGBTQ composers American people of Egyptian descent Curtis Institute of Music alumni LGBTQ classical composers Living people American male opera composers New England Conservatory alumni American string quartet composers 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American musicians